BioGlue-Centre: Competence Centre for Bio-based Adhesives

Purpose and goal:

The Bio-Centre responds to the urgent need of the furniture, construction and packaging sectors to become more sustainable by increasing the speed of finding bio-based alternatives to the vast amounts of the, almost exclusively, fossil-based adhesives used today. The Centre provides a unique opportunity to strongly influence novel research directions and revolutionise the field of bio-adhesives, thus bringing about several benefits for the involved partners and contributing to a more sustainable industry. Such a Centre does not exist today at international level.

Expected results and effects:

The BioGlue-Centre: (1) is a network of excellence in Sweden, gathering 15 academic and industrial partners, sharing the same research questions around adhesives and bonding; (2) will become a world-leading research environment through development of paradigm-shifting fundamental knowledge on bio-based adhesives; (3) represents a globally unique opportunity for a market corresponding to 25 % of all adhesives produced worldwide; (4) creates major competitive advantages for the industrial partners, both large and SMEs, and contributes to a more sustainable industry.

Approach and implementation:

The Bio-Glue Centre is comprised of: (a) Three Swedish universities: SLU, KTH, LNU; (b) Four Gold Partners: IKEA, AkzoNobel, Stora Enso, Tetra Pak; (c) Two Silver Partners: Södra, BASF; (d) Six Bronze Partners: Lantmännen, IsoTimber, Masonite Beams, Green Furniture Concept, 2D fab, Swedish Wood. The vision of the centre to become a world-leading research environment will be accomplished through development of fundamental knowledge on bio-based adhesives in three research areas: raw materials and formulations, aspects of adhesives, and end-use requirements and sustainability.